Proposed Collection; Comment Request [03/18/2003]
Volume 68, Number 52, Page 12943-12944
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the
proposed reinstatement of the ``National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
1979.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can
be obtained by contacting the individual listed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before May 19, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is a
representative national sample of persons who were born in the years
1957 to 1964 and lived in the U.S. in 1978. These respondents were ages
14-22 when the first round of interviews began in 1979; they will be
ages 39 to 47 when the planned 21st round of interviews is conducted
from January to November 2004. The NLSY79 was conducted annually from
1979 to 1994 and has been conducted biennially since 1994. The
longitudinal focus of this survey requires information to be collected
from the same individuals over many years in order to trace their
education, training, work experience, fertility, income, and program
participation.
In addition to the main NLSY79, the biological children of female
NLSY79 respondents have been surveyed since 1986, when the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development began providing funding
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to gather a large amount of
information about the lives of these children. A battery of child
cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological assessments has been
administered biennially since 1986 to NLSY79 mothers and their
children. Starting in 1994, children who had reached age 15 by December
31 of the survey year (the Young Adults) were interviewed about their
work experiences, training, schooling, health, fertility, and self-
esteem, as well as sensitive topics addressed in a supplemental, self-
administered questionnaire.
The BLS contracts with the Center for Human Resource Research
(CHRR) of the Ohio State University to implement the NLSY79, Child, and
Young Adult surveys. Interviewing of respondents is conducted by the
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago.
Among the objectives of the Department of Labor (DOL) are to promote
the development of the U.S. labor force and the efficiency of the U.S.
labor market. The BLS contributes to these objectives by gathering
information about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it
to policy makers and the public so that participants in those markets
can make more informed and, thus, more efficient, choices. Research
based on the NLSY79 contributes to the formation of national policy in
the areas of education, training, employment programs, and school-to-
work transitions. In addition to the reports that the BLS produces
based on data from the NLSY79, members of the academic community
publish articles and reports based on NLSY79 data for the DOL and other
funding agencies. The survey design provides data gathered from the
same respondents over time to form the only data set that contains this
type of intergenerational information for these important population
groups. Without the collection of these data, an accurate longitudinal
data set could not be provided to researchers and policy makers, and
the DOL would not have the data for use in performing its policy and
report-making activities.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
[sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including
[[Page 12944]]
whether the information will have practical utility;
[sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
[sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
[sbull] Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions
The Bureau of Labor Statistics seeks approval to conduct the round
21 interviews of the NLSY79 and the associated surveys of biological
children of female NLSY79 respondents. The main NLSY79 interview has an
average response time of approximately 60 minutes per respondent. The
time estimate for the NLSY79 Child Survey involves three components:
[sbull] The Mother Supplement is administered to female NLSY79
respondents who live with biological children under age 15. This
questionnaire will be administered to about 2,000 women, who will be
asked a series of questions about each child under age 15. On average,
these women each have about 1.5 children under age 15, for a total
number of approximately 3,000 children.
[sbull] The Child Supplement involves aptitude testing of about
2,700 children under age 15.
[sbull] The Child Self-Administered Questionnaire is administered
to approximately 1500 children ages 10 to 14.
In addition to the main NLSY79 and Child Survey, the Young Adult
Survey will be administered to approximately 2,800 youths ages 15 to 20
who are the biological children of female NLSY79 respondents. These
youths will be contacted for an interview regardless of whether they
reside with their mothers.
During the field period, about 200 main NLSY79 interviews are
validated to ascertain whether the interview took place as the
interviewer reported and whether the interview was done in a polite and
professional manner.
Type of Review: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously
approved collection for which approval has expired.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.
OMB Number: 1220-0109.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Total
Form respondents Frequency responses Average time per response Estimated total burden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NLSY79 Round 21 Pretest.............. 30 Biennially.............. 30 60 minutes................. 30 hours
Main NLSY79 Survey................... 8,000 Biennially.............. 8,000 60 minutes................. 8,000 hours
Main NLSY79 Validation Reinterview... 200 Biennially.............. 200 6 minutes.................. 20 hours
Mother Supplement.................... 2,000 Biennially.............. 3,000 21 minutes................. 1,050 hours
Child Supplement..................... 2,700 Biennially.............. 2,700 31 minutes................. 1,395 hours
Child Self-Administered Questionnaire 1,500 Biennially.............. 1,500 30 minutes................. 750 hours
Young Adult Survey................... 2,800 Biennially.............. 2,800 45 minutes................. 2,100 hours
Totals............................... .............. ........................ 18,230 ........................... 13,345 hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The number of respondents for the Mother Supplement (2,000) is less than the number of responses (3,000) because mothers are asked to provide
separate responses for each of the biological children with whom they reside.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 7th day of March, 2003.
Jesus Salinas,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 03-6401 Filed 3-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P
|
